5 hours Ago By BoxingNews.com
Francis Ngannou has updated fans on his next fight, which he says could be in boxing or MMA. Ngannou made a successful start to his PFL career by knocking out Renan Ferreira in the first round. It was a significant victory since he overcame various obstacles, showing that he is still one of the best heavyweights in MMA.
Before the fight took place, he suffered the loss of his 15-month-old son, Kobe. Ngannou revealed that he would use it as motivation coming into the fight. He immediately took Ferreira to the ground before landing various strikes as the referee waved off the fight.
It was Ngannou’s first victory since his UFC 270 fight against Ciryl Gane , where he knocked him out in 2022. Ngannou’s Options Ngannou has now revealed that his next bout could be in MMA or in boxing. If he were to face an MMA fighter, there are a few possibilities: Denis Goltsov and Bruno Cappelozza .
Goltsov has an MMA record of 35 victories and eight defeats. He has shown impressive form in the 2024 PFL season, with three victories in a row. They were all knockout victories, as he beat Linton Vassell , Thiago Santos and Tim Johnson in his last bout.
Those wins have made him one of the best contenders in the heavyweight division. The other option is to take on Bruno. Bruno is an ex-PFL Heavyweight champion who won the title in 2021.
His record stands at 15 wins, seven losses and one no-contest. But he has had a poor run of form of late. He lost to Vadim Nemkov in his last fight.
Before that, he had a no-contest against Matheus Scheffel . It was a no-contest due to an accidental poke in the eye. While there could be a rematch against Ferreira, that is very unlikely due to the one-sided manner of the fight.
If Ngannou were to have a boxing rematch, there are also a few opportunities. A rematch with Tyson Fury is also potentially on the table, given how their first fight played out. Ngannou pushed the Gypsy King as he lost his split decision.
But his performance was commended as he dropped Fury in the third round. There were also some in the boxing community who felt that Ngannou had been robbed of a victory. The performance showed his arrival into the boxing scene as he secured a top-ten WBC ranking.
Ngannou also has the opportunity to face Deontay Wilder . Reports indicated that they were in talks over a two-fight deal. Ngannou Reacts One of those fights would have been in MMA, and the other would have been in boxing.
But the fight never materialized, as Ngannou chose to face Fury instead. But given Wilder’s recent form in the boxing ring, Ngannou will fancy his chances. Wilder lost a unanimous decision against Joseph Parker .
That was then followed by a knockout defeat against Zhilei Zhang in his last fight. That has raised questions about whether Wilder can compete at the top level. And based on what he has seen, Ngannou will fancy his chances.
Either way, he was ready for whatever comes next. Francis Ngannou shares his thoughts on what is next for him. He plans to return in Q2 of 2025.
Who should be his opponent? #HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/qBV41SgHtu “It could be either one (MMA or boxing).
I don’t know yet. I don’t have any hand in that one. [And] I don’t have a decision.
I think it also depends on promotion. I don’t know. If next, PFL, they come up with something with a fight or a date, maybe we’ll work on it.
If it’s boxing, same thing,” Ngannou said This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission..
